Holidays on Ice

Also recommended: THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES,EVERYTHING'S EVENTUAL, THE UNION MOUJIK, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE


Six Sick Seasonal Stories!   March 7, 2003
 15 out of 18 found this review helpful

Sedaris once again knocks out six stories that will knock your socks off. One story deals with a woman's notes to her freinds after her family is forced to take in a young, female Vietnamese adult (a vestige of the husband's war mistakes) who speaks a language learned from Sesame Street watchings ("shiny, big bird, five dollar"). There is nothing but hilarious bedlam for the family, accented, of course, by the Christmas Holidays. Another deals with a true story of Sedaris' sister taking a crack whore home for the Holidays. The family considers this very cool and with his family, you'l easily see why.

However, the ultimate laugh is Sedaris' short-lived stint as a Santa Claus elf in New York's Macys. Born of adult men and one midget, all because they are short, Sedaris describes the outrageous tedium and shocking marching orders they have to endure. The Santa crowds with or without children are mercilessly dissected, as well they should be, as Sedaris wonderfully describes this terrible thing that is 'visiting Santa'. This book is far too short, but well worth the endorphic giggles it induces.


A Good Read   September 3, 1999
 1 out of 3 found this review helpful

I really enjoyed reading this book, I'll admit it wasn't as big as I had expected it to be, but it was worth it!! I, unlike most reviewers, enjoyed "Santaland Diaries" the least, I really liked "Greetings to our family and friends", "Based on a true story", and "Christmas Means Giving"! You definatly have to have a sense of humor when reading this book and don't take the stories too seriously (especially "Christmas Means Giving"!) But all in all the book really humored me and I enjoyed reading it!


I Brake for "Santaland Diaries"   August 5, 1999
 0 out of 3 found this review helpful

Okay, it's true: as other Amazonian reviewers point out, "Santaland Diaries" is the crown jewel of this collection of essays and stories. But it's SOOOOO funny, it alone made me rank this book with five stars. When my wife is depressed, I read her random sections of "Santaland Diaries": it reduces both of us to tears of hysterical laughter. Okay, so the lampoon of those obnoxious "What Our Family Did for the Last Year" Christmas letters is over the top: so is much classic Monty Python, Woody Allen, etc. If you loved the film THE REF, you'll adore HOLIDAYS ON ICE. (By the way, the marketeers who took the Santa-at-the-urinal photo off the front cover of the paperback edition are disgusting wimpoids.)


Hilarious at best, mediocre at worst   May 11, 1999
The first story, "SantaLand Diaries", is hilarious, as funny a piece of writing as I have ever read.The other stories are quite amusing, but don't rise to the level of the first. Sedaris clearly has exceptional talent, and I will definitely try out his other works. Comedy(whether performing or writing) clearly being the most difficult art, makes this collection worth the modest retail price.